


Boiler Jammed

by sbuggbot



Category: SteamWorld Dig (Video Games)
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, In which Dorothy is dependent on her platonic life partner and her mom friend, Robot Sickfic, Setting is Vague - Very Very Vague, Sickfic, This is presumably post-Dig 2, Vacation, Vomiting, author is being self-indulgent shhh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-27
Updated: 2019-02-27
Packaged: 2019-11-06 08:39:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17936480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sbuggbot/pseuds/sbuggbot
Summary: What was supposed to be a vacation to help Dorothy relax some gets a tad derailed on account of her not telling her friends that her boiler was malfunctioning.





	Boiler Jammed

**Author's Note:**

> Y'know, I get random spurts of motivation and write scribbles of fics, but the only things that seem to come together into something postablr tend to be sickfic. Why am I like this--
> 
> I wouldn't think too hard about the grander setting for this fic, it just kinda exists and probably doesn't fit into the canon very nicely. I HAD AN IDEA AND ROLLED WITH IT

The stress was definitely getting to Dorothy; her boiler had been off for the past several days. She had the feeling her friends had planned this excursion at least partly so she could take a breather. She appreciated their thoughtfulness, but Dorothy was struggling to relax much. She was almost positive her boiler was jammed. Of course, she didn't tell the others that. Not that she could hide much from her close friends--she wasn't very hard to read. But she still didn't talk about what was wrong and she still felt crummy.

So the normally-bouncy cowbot found herself curling up on a deck chair, half-nodding off between bouts of pain. Dorothy found it really disappointing--she loved playing in the water, and this pool had an end shallow enough that even Rusty, who couldn't swim to save his life, felt comfortable enough to join in.

She must have dozed off at some point because the next thing she remembered was Rusty gently shaking her shoulder. The sun was lower, too. “We're gonna go get something to drink. Y'should prob'ly get something too,” he said. She opened her mouth to say that she didn't want anything but Rusty was already tugging on her arm.

She hardly drank any of hers, just stared at it and swirled it around some. It was hard to make yourself drink anything when your boiler was cramping and so full-feeling that it hurt to move very much. The thought of drinking even part of the glass made her boiler groan and grumble. Dorothy eventually gave up on it after several swills and leaned on Rusty's shoulder. She vented some steam but it didn't do much to relieve the pressure in her belly.

They stayed at the booth for a while and Dorothy started getting a headache. When the bot put her head down, Lola asked, “You ok, dear?”

Dorothy shook her head but didn't bother to lift it from the table. “Head hurts. And I'm a little dizzy.”

“Y'might be gettin’ too hot. You did spend a long time layin’ in the sun, after all.” She reached across the table to rub her head a little. “Why don't you try cooling off in the pool for a bit?” Dorothy nodded and followed the group back to the pool. It might feel nice on her achy body, she thought. She sat on the steps, partially submerged, not feeling up to too much else.

Unfortunately, the cool water didn't help at all. She tried to listen to whatever Lola and Rusty were talking about, but it faded into white noise as another wave of discomfort hit her. Her insides seized up suddenly and she whimpered.

“Dot?” Rusty asked, worried.

“Cramp,” she strained out, hugging her middle. “Cold water not helping.”

Frowning a bit, Rusty helped her out of the pool and began rubbing her back. “D'y’ wanna try the hot tub?” That helped with tensed parts, right?

Dorothy nodded and he all but carried her there. Dorothy kept stumbling--she couldn't walk normally with the amount her boiler hurt.

It was decently warm out, sure, but the hot tub felt amazing. Dorothy could have sworn she felt each inner bit relax as she sat there. She leaned back between two of the jets with a content hum. Still some pressure in her belly, but no more cramping.

“Better?” Rusty asked.

“Loads.” Dorothy's stabbing boilerache felt like part of the distant past. She shifted so she was resting against Rusty and all but melted against him. He responded by gently stroking her hair. She always liked that. For the first time since her boiler got jammed, Dorothy felt okay.

It didn't last forever, though. After a while, her boiler began grumbling and she could feel trapped air bubble around. A small burp escaped her before she could do anything about it. With it came a rush of relief, her boiler had felt way too full the past few days. She muffled another burp with her hand before Rusty noticed. He made a small inquisitive noise, one that asked, _You ok?_

She nodded. “Feels good.” Dorothy definitely felt another wave of gas build, but she couldn't force this one up like the other ones. It just sat there at the bottom of her chest teasingly. She pressed her fist against the spot and grunted. She looked over at Rusty.

Rusty lifted his arm and let her scoot closer to him. Once she was settled against him, he began patting her back. Dorothy rested her head on his shoulder. She wanted this bubble _out_ before it got too big and hurt. Luckily, Rusty's patting was enough to help her bring up that one and several more bubbles of air. She hadn't realized just how full of junk she'd felt over the past few days until the feeling had been lifted.

Something in Dorothy's boiler shifted and she realized that this wasn't just a burp. She clapped her hand over her mouth and thought, _not into the hot tub!_ She turned her head just in time to throw up over Rusty's shoulder and onto the concrete. Rusty, naturally, jumped as one would expect when your cuddle buddy suddenly got sick. He sat there for a moment, trying to process what just happened.

Lola was already there, kneeling next to the hot tub on Dorothy's other side, murmuring comforts to her and stroking the top of her head. Rusty snapped out of his confusion and began rubbing Dorothy's back. The poor bot was coughing and still retching and also trying to apologize like she could have helped what just happened.

“Shhh, it's alright, dear,” Lola said. “How long’ve you been feelin’ sick?”

“Ugh...f-few days.” Dorothy choked back a sob. Her boiler curdled and her insides were unsettled from throwing up. “M’ boiler's jammed.”

“Dot, why didn't you say something?” Rusty asked, beginning to help her out of the hot tub and onto a bench. “Could've helped ya.”

She looked down, several guilty tears falling. “I-I didn't wanna ruin this trip...You guys did all this for me and I couldn't even enjoy it…” Her voice became higher in pitch and shakier as she spoke until Dorothy broke down crying.

Right away Rusty hugged her and Lola shooshed her. “Dorothy, it's only the first day,” Lola pointed out as she wiped one of her tears away. She was right, there were several days left in this trip. “We can get you some medicine tonight and take it easy in the morning. No big deal.”

Dorothy pulled her towel closer as Rusty put his arm around her. “You sure?” She asked, her voice still wobbly.

“Positive,” Rusty said, standing up. “C'mon, let's go back to the suite.” Dorothy followed suit but she was pretty spaced out while Rusty let the cleaning crew know what happened and Lola split off to get some things.

* * *

 

Dorothy was curled up next to Rusty on the couch and hugging a pillow. Her boiler had settled down for the most part, but it was still grumbling and probably would be until it was unjammed. At least it was just a blockage jam and not a mechanical one. A mechanical jam called for a repairbot opening her up, but Dorothy's boiler was just blocked up with gunk. That could be fixed with some medicine that would break it down so her boiler could drain properly.

Speaking of which, Lola returned right then with a little bag. “All right, Dorothy, I've got the medicine you need.” She took the little bottle out of the bag and poured out a dose while Dorothy eased herself upright.

When Lola passed the cup to her, though, Dorothy balked. “Why does it have to smell so bad?” Lola and Rusty both shrugged, and Dorothy drained the little cup. “Blegh, it tastes weird, too!”

“‘s over with, now,” Rusty said as he pulled her backward into a hug. Both he and Lola couldn't help but notice Dorothy's lack of resistance to taking her medicine this time. She was the most stubborn ‘bot on the planet when it came to taking any sort of medicine, so it stood as a testament to how miserable the poor dear must have felt. Rusty patted her head as she settled against him.

Exhaustion overtook her and she nodded off, taking comfort in the fact that she'd feel better tomorrow.


End file.
